James Lofton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
James Lofton

Lofton on the Green Bay Packers
No. 80, 86, 22
Position:	Wide receiver
Personal information
Born:	(1956-07-05) July 5, 1956 (age 69) Fort Ord, California, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:	187 lb (85 kg)
Career information
High school:	Washington (Los Angeles, California)
College:	Stanford
NFL Draft:	1978 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6
Career history
As player:
Green Bay Packers (1978–1986) Los Angeles Raiders (1987–1988) Buffalo Bills (1989–1992) Los Angeles Rams (1993) Philadelphia Eagles (1993)
As coach:
San Diego Chargers (2002–2007) Wide receivers coach Oakland Raiders (2008) Wide receivers coach
Career highlights and awards
2× First-team All-Pro (1980, 1981) 2× Second-team All-Pro (1982, 1983) 8× Pro Bowl (1978, 1980–1985, 1991) NFL 1980s All-Decade Team PFWA All-Rookie Team (1978) Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame Buffalo Bills 50th Anniversary Team Second-team All-American (1977) First-team All-Pac-8 (1977)
Career NFL statistics
Receptions: 764 Receiving yards: 14,004 Receiving touchdowns: 75
Player stats at PFR
Pro Football Hall of Fame

James David Lofton (born July 5, 1956) is a famous American former football player and coach. He played as a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played for teams like the Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Raiders, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, and Philadelphia Eagles.

James Lofton was also a champion in track and field. He won the long jump at the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) championships in 1978 while studying at Stanford University. Many people think he is one of the best wide receivers ever. When he retired, he had the most receiving yards in NFL history. He was honored by being put into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003. After playing, he became a coach for wide receivers.

Early Life and High School Football

James Lofton grew up in Los Angeles, California. He went to George Washington High School. There, he played football and was a quarterback and a safety.

College Sports at Stanford

Lofton played college football at Stanford University. In his last year, 1977, he caught 57 passes for 1,010 yards. He also scored 14 touchdowns. He was chosen as an All-American player that year. Lofton was part of the Theta Delta Chi fraternity. He earned a college degree in industrial engineering in 1978.

Track and Field Achievements

James Lofton was also a great track and field athlete. In 1978, he won the long jump at the NCAA Track and Field Championships. His winning jump was 26 feet 11¾ inches. He also won the long jump at the California State Meet in 1974. He was a fast sprinter too, with a best time of 20.5 seconds in the 200 meter race. Since 1997, he has continued to compete in Masters track and field events.

Professional Football Career

The Green Bay Packers chose James Lofton in the first round of the 1978 NFL draft. He was the sixth player picked overall. He was selected for the NFL Pro Bowl eight times during his career. Seven of those times were with the Packers, and one was with the Bills. He was also named to four All-Pro teams. Lofton played in three Super Bowls while with the Buffalo Bills. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

In his 16 seasons in the NFL, Lofton caught 764 passes. He gained 14,004 yards and scored 75 touchdowns. He averaged 20 yards or more per catch in five different seasons. He led the league in 1983 and 1984 with averages of 22.4 and 22 yards per catch. He also ran with the ball 32 times for 246 yards and one touchdown.

Lofton was the first NFL player to reach 14,000 receiving yards. He was also the second player to score a touchdown in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. During his nine years in Green Bay, he played in seven Pro Bowls. He left the Packers as their all-time leading receiver with 9,656 yards. This record was later broken by Donald Driver.

In 1987, he was traded to the Los Angeles Raiders. After two seasons with the Raiders, he joined the Buffalo Bills in 1989. In 1991, Lofton became the oldest player to gain 1,000 receiving yards in a season. This record was later broken by Jerry Rice. On October 21, 1991, he also became the oldest player to have 200 receiving yards in a single game. He was 35 years and 108 days old at the time. He was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1999.

Coaching Career

James Lofton became a wide receivers coach for the San Diego Chargers in 2002. He stayed in that role until January 2008. He later became the wide receivers coach for the Oakland Raiders in 2008. He left the Raiders in January 2009.

Broadcasting Career

Lofton also worked as a sports commentator. From 1999 to 2001, he was a color analyst and sideline reporter for NFL games on Westwood One radio. In 2009, he rejoined Westwood One for Sunday Night Football broadcasts. In 2017, he moved to television to work on the NFL on CBS. He has been a game analyst with Andrew Catalon since then.

NFL Career Statistics

Regular Season Stats

Personal Life

James Lofton is married to his wife, Beverly. They have three children together. One of their children, David, also played college football at Stanford. James Lofton's cousin, Kevin Bass, was a professional Major League Baseball player.